For the longest time, the Orland Park Pioneers Junior Varsity lived a charmed life.
The combination of talent, drive and larger than life personalities meant the team was freewheeling and dominant. From a football perspective, everything came almost too easy. Victories started to be expected.
Coach Todd Shelton even lamented the fact that as well as the team played, he was still seeking a more sustained level of play from beginning to the end.
Then reality struck in the form of a series of devastating actions by the New Lenox Jr. Knights.
Jordan Masino is tackled and lands on the wrong side of the Pylon during the Pioneers semi-final playoff 19-6 win over the Jr. Knights on October 31 in New Lenox.
They victimized the Pioneers’ normally stout defense with play action passes, big runs and startling early success.
“They had us on our heels during the first half,” coach Shelton said.
The Jr. Knights opened the game with a 12-play, 60-yard scoring drive that jolted the Pioneers.
“They came out stronger than we thought, and they hit us hard,” quarterback Sean Ruisz said. “They hit us hard, and we were a little bit shocked.”
The coach’s namesake changed the game.
The player Todd Shelton blocked a punt that produced the first touchdown and turned the tide.
Todd Shelton had a great play to spearhead the Pioneers come from behind playoff win against the Jr. Knights last Sunday in New Lenox.
Ruisz scored a rushing touchdown and also threw the clinching score as the Pioneers’ Junior Varsity captured the 19-6 victory in the semifinals of the River Valley Youth Football League playoffs at Homewood-Flossmoor Sunday, October 31.
The Junior Varsity advances to play the Super Bowl at St. Xavier on Sunday, November 7.
The Pioneers overcame their first deficit of the season. Jordan Masino appeared to stop the game-opening drive with a seven-yard sack. On fourth and long, the Jr. Knights caught the Pioneers by surprise and scored on a 30-yard reverse for the 6-0 lead.
The drive took up all but 13 seconds of the opening quarter.
“Normally I think the team that gets the first big hit on the first drive is the team that comes out more confident,” Masino said.
“I guess we all proved my words wrong. We came back right away.”
Pioneers’ Quarterback Sean Ruisz is as good as they come. Here he runs right during the Pioneers playoff win against the Jr. Knights on October 31 in New Lenox.
A 15-yard run by Ruisz followed by a 32-yard burst by running back Mason Marable put the Pioneers in business.
A holding call and two incomplete passes stalled the drive. In forcing a punt deep in the Jr. Knights’ own territory, Todd Shelton changed the complexion of the game.
He blasted in and blocked the punt. Lineman Luke Kruszynski recovered the ball in the end zone for the touchdown. Ruisz ran in the conversion for the 7-6 Pioneers lead.
Orland Park never trailed again.
“That blocked punt by Todd was a really big play because we were down, and our offense got stopped on our first drive,” Ruisz said. “They could have been up at halftime, but Todd blocked that punt. Our momentum got back, and we were in the game.”
Pioneers cornerback Nolan Rodriguez goes in for the tackle during their playoff game against the Jr. Knights on October 31 in New Lenox.
Todd Shelton learned from past experience.
“The first time we played during the middle of the season, I also blocked a punt against them,” Todd Shelton said. “I went right over the center, and as I got there, the ball actually hit my helmet.”
His father, coach Todd Shelton, called it the defining sequence of the game.
“It was huge,” coach Shelton said. “It turned the game around. It stopped their momentum. The game was still in the first half. Our first half was not great, but that play stopped their momentum.”
The Jr. Knights never really got it back. After gaining 60 yards on the first series, New Lenox registered only 19 yards on 26 carries from scrimmage. The Pioneers held them to just two first downs, one by penalty, the balance of the game.
Leading the block for runningback Mason Marable (2), Vinnie Annel (11) faces the Jr. Knight defender during their Playoff game in New Lenox.
“I think the block did change the momentum,” the player Todd Shelton said. “When they scored, I think it actually controlled us. We settled down.”
Brody Wantroba had three sacks and four tackles for loss. Kruszynski and Masino also combined for two sacks.
“I think that touchdown they scored woke us up because we weren’t there to play at the start,” Kruszynski said. “We got ready to play.
With sharp cross winds playing havoc with the passing game, the Pioneers adopted a direct game plan centered around the running game of Ruisz, Marable and Masino. Working out of the pistol or shotgun formation, Ruisz surveyed the field. Marable used his speed to get to the edge. Masino just knocked over the interior of the Jr. Knights.
Pioneers’ Luke Kruszynski looks to pickup the loose football during the Pioneers playoff game against the Jr. Knights on October 31 in New Lenox.
Ruisz orchestrated a six-play, 65-yard scoring drive at the start of the second half. He started things off beautifully with a 24-yard run around the right edge. Two plays later, he broke a 19-yard gain.
“We knew we were going to have to pound the ball,” Ruisz said. “After the blocked punt touchdown, our adrenaline was high. We knew just to pump it up and find the holes outside.”
Upset after he was called for a holding call, Masino made up his mistake with a bruising 15-yard run.
“If I get a penalty, I get really mad and angry,” he said. “I want to get back there, and I just gave it my all. The anger came inside my body, and I wanted to get back on the field.”
Two plays later, Ruisz crashed in on the 2-yard keeper for the 13-6 lead.
Mason Marable (2) rushes for the Pioneers against the Jr. Knights during their playoff game on October 31 in New Lenox.
Wantroba and Masino combined for a sack and Ruisz forced another punt by stuffing a Jr. Knights’ running back for a 1-yard loss.
After a 12-yard run, Ruisz put the finishing touches on the comeback by creating time and avoiding the rush.He connected with his favorite receiver, Barret Sigel, on a 20-yard touchdown pass. It was his only completion of the day.
“Most of the time when we run that play, it goes to an inside receiver,” Sigel said. “I knew Sean always has great reads. The pocket collapsed on him, and I originally thought he passed the line of scrimmage. He lofted it to me, and it was as great play by him.”
Leaping while draped by two Jr. Knight defenders, Pioneers’ receiver Barret Sigel makes another difficult catch during their playoff game on October 31 in New Lenox.
Sigel said the team learned something valuable about themselves by dealing with adversity.
“I felt like we dealt with it pretty well,” he said. “At first we were pretty scared. They were a lot better than the last time we played them. As soon as we scored our first touchdown, we got our momentum back and we were good.”
In the Fifth Quarter, quarterback Jack Bullington rushed for two touchdowns. Zayne Salah, Jad Jaber, Samuel Basiorka and Carson Conrad also played well in the 25-minute controlled scrimmage.
Matt Bullington looks for a hole during a run against the Jr. Knights on October 31 in New Lenox.
Shafik Yasin (59) looks for another Jr. Knight to block during action on october 31 in New Lenox.
Christian Czerwonka (27), Nicolas Flores (35) and Joshua Montell (25) engage the Jr. Knights block during their game on October 31 in New Lenox.
The Orland Park Pioneers Junior Varsity had many contributors in the playoff semifinal victory. The other standouts were Ethan Vinson, Devin Stefanos, Ayodeji Olanrewaju, Vincent Annel, Matthew Hallberg, Ayden Toth, Nolan Rodriguez, Luke Wolcott, Christian Czerwonka, Matthew Bullington, Othman Mizyed, Thomas Elliott, Nicolas Flores, Patrick Hennessy, Adam Hoak, Eli Citlau, Jaden Barron, Cruz Bennett, Nathaniel Owei, Shafik Yasin, Rami Agha, Jake Tomczak, Joshua Montell, Egan Kelly, Blake Wagner, Matthew Durkin, Ibrahim Jaffal, Rocco McCarthy, Jake Buechele, Nick Shamma and Brady Straka.
The Junior Varsity Pioneer Cheerleaders were acrobatic in their performances all game on October 31 in New Lenox.
In addition to the players, the cheerleaders brought tremendous passion and excitement in performing their routines in the rain and windy conditions. The performers were made up of Lily Carroll, Kylee Votteler, Taylor Ruisz, Hailey McDonald, Avery Nugent, Layla Jeffries, Madalyn Marable, Jordyn Shamma, Janelle Juachon, Jewel Juachon, Erica Gonsowski, Maeve O’Connor, Klaudia Willis, Alyssa Abed, Issabela Enriquez, Fiona Sejud, Summer Vahl, Anna Woloszyk, Sophia Gasior, Keira Ulaszek and Madeline Carrier.
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